Fruit and nut slice...no bake!

It’s all about the ‘smoosh bars’ at the moment! With all the recent recipe testing I have an abundance of dried fruits and nuts.

Also my dad recently went all the way and purchased a Thermomix after seeing how much I use mine for everything from nut flours and butters to soup. Though his is an old style one he bought second hand, I wanted to put it through it’s paces to see how it fared against mine….a little blitzing of some fruit and nuts was the perfect test.

Instead of forming the mix into balls or bars, I figured I would keep it as a loaf stored in the fridge, so that he could simply slice off a slither when the desire struck. The flavours and textures work beautifully and give this loaf a really authentic 'fruit and nut' loaf feel. Keep the seeds and nuts fairly chunky whilst maintaining a fairly sticky mix, you can also press a few extra into the top.  Add a few more oats or dates as needed to get the right consistency to form a loaf.

Obviously it’s a lot denser than your regular cakey loaf so a little goes a long way. It’s very moreish so I will warn you now… you may well find yourself slicing of a little slither and then a little more! If you’d prefer individual balls or bars then go right ahead, the choice is yours.

Recipe: No-bake fruit and nut slice

Makes a shallow 20x10cm loaf

Ingredients:

300g dates (or sub some raisins)

70g oats

70g cashews (or other nuts or mixture of choice)

20g flax

70g pumpkin seeds

1 tsp ground mixed spice

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Method:

Process the cashews, oats , flax seed and spices until just coarse (not to fine). Remove from processor.

Process the dates  to form a paste, this can still containas few chunky bits if necessary.

Add all ingredients and pulse to mix through well whilst keeling a chunky consistency.

The mixture should be sticky but manageable- add a tsp or so of water if too dry and extra oatmeal if too sticky.

Spoon the mixture into a lined loaf pan (or similar sized tin) and press down (I use the back of a rolling on) until well packed. Chill in the free before slicing to serve.

Check out my other no bake treats here!

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

It’s all about...dates, dates, dates!

I use dates a lot!! 

Particularly this last month or so, as I cut out syrups of all kinds during lent in a bid to use only whole food sweeteners, and to be honest I have enjoyed keeping this up! That’s not to say I won’t use agave, brown rice syrup or maple syrup ever again, I have simply enjoyed the challenge of not relying on these foods.

Dates have therefore become by go-to versatile sweetener above and beyond bananas or other dried fruits on the basis they are so neutral in taste and still pack a lot of sweetness in to a small bite.

I have written a few posts about various homemade date products before, but I figured it made sense to do a bit of a round up here with all the basic recipes in one place for easy reference, plus this old date paste post was in need of a little refresher (and much better photos!)

I’d love to hear how you use dates and other dried fruits in your baking?

Date paste

Recipe: Date paste

Ingredients 

1 packed cup of dates (I used 1 heaped cup to compensate for the fact the dates were whole and not packed in- so you want to visually aim for a fairly packed cup)

½ cup hot water

1 tsp vanilla extract- optional

Method

Place the dates in a small/medium bowl. Pour the required amount of boiling water over the dates and leave to soften for approx. 30 minutes. Once softened pour the contents of the bowl, along with a little vanilla extract, in to a blender (I used my thermomix) and blend until smooth.

Spoon the paste into a jar and store in the fridge if not using straight away.  This keeps for at approx 1 month in a sealed container.

date syrup

Recipe: Date syrup 

Ingredients 

1 packed cup of dates (I used 1 heaped cup to compensate for the fact the dates were whole and not packed in- so you want to visually aim for a fairly packed cup)

1.5 cups hot water- for a smoother easily spoon-able syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract- optional

1/4 tsp pure liquid stevia (to gove back sweetness diluted by the water)

Method

Place the dates in a small/medium bowl. Pour the required amount of boiling water over the dates and leave to soften for approx. 30 minutes. Once softened pour the contents of the bowl, along with a little vanilla extract, in to a blender (I used my thermomix) and blend until smooth.

Pour the syrup into a jar and store in the fridge if not using straight away.  This keeps for at least two weeks in sealed container.

date sugar

Recipe: Date sugar

Makes 1 cup

Ingredients

3 cups fresh dates (I used deglet noor- so as big and sticky as medjool)

1-2 tsp starch (I used arrowroot but others will also work)

Method

Halve the dates and lay them in a single layer on a lined baking sheet.

Place in the oven on the lowest temperature (mine was approx 50C) and ‘bake’ for about 3 hours, turn the oven off and allow to cool whilst still in the oven. I left mine in their overnight. They should end up much harder and dryer.

Placed in a high powered food processor (I used a Thermomix) and blitz on high for 30 seconds. Add 1 tsp of starch and blitz for another 30 seconds.

At this stage I lots of small clumpy grains that were still a little sticky. Lay this mixture out on the baking sheet once again in an even layer and bake at a low temp for another hour until the mixture is very hard to the touch.

Once fully cool, re blend the mixture in the processor adding a touch more starch if necessary (the starch helps to prevent clumping).  You could also add other flavours such as vanilla or cinnamon here if desired.

Once the date sugar is as fine as you can get it and there is no moisture present. Pour into an airtight storage container for future use. You will find that the date sugar hardens together over time which is normal. Use a fork to loosen for use.

Notes: you may find that if you are able to ensure the dates are rock hard from the first bake the resulting sugar will be fine enough from the first blend without the need for re-baking. You can also use a dehydrator to achieve the same affect. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

 

I also use ground dates as the basis for these breakfast sprinkles.

Here is a little list of a few of my date sweetened recipes:

Bakes Apple Oatmeal

Chewy Buckwheat Clusters

Spiced Apple Pancakes with Date and Walnut

Toffee Granola Bars

Quinoa Breakfast Cakes

Dark Chocolate Pudding

Sticky Toffee Pudding


For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

Introducing ‘Fit-food’ and buckwheat balls!

So many new ‘introductions’ these last couple of days…plus another one planned for next week!  There has been a lot going on that is beginning to take shape very nicely so I just want to bring you up to speed with where I am and share my excitement with you too!

Off the back of the launch of my new Wholeplus Fitness bar range, the recent weeks have had me thinking about and exploring all sorts of ‘fitness’ related snacks and recipe ideas. For example my green smoothie cheesecake was a bit of a revelation in super-healthy-tastyness!

I have a new recipe to share with you today that continues the buckwheat theme that you’ve also seen here, here and here in very different ways. Yum- I love buckwheat. But on the theme of introductions, I have added another new category to the recipes tab so now you’ll be able to search through ‘Fit-Food’. These recipes are all about high protein, or low carb, or grab and go power-snacks… basically plenty of recipes to fit an active lifestyle. Feel free to throw more ideas and comments my way as this is an area if nutrition I am very passionate about.

Click here for my full listing of Fit-Food recipes!

So without waffling on any more, here is the ‘fit-food’ recipe for today. Super simple but certainly hits the spot. Enjoy!

Recipe: Buck-coconut bites

Makes 12 balls

Ingredients

½ cup dates

¼ coconut flakes

½ buckwheat groats (you can toast them first if you like but I didn't)

2 tbs peanut butter (or other nut butter) add a pinch of salt if not using salted nut butter.

Method

Process the dates until sticky and coarsely ground.  Add all remaining ingredients and pulse to combine. Add more nut butter if too dry and more coconut if too sticky.

Options: you could also add vanilla, spices, carob or cocoa, or nuts of seeds of choice to sub some of the buckwheat or coconut.

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

Chewy chocolate quinoa cookies

I’m loving all the healthy high protein ‘flour’ subs i’m trying out at the moment. First it was with whole buckwheat groats (still plenty of those recipes to come) and now it’s also with quinoa.  I mentioned before that I was having a big quinoa kick this month, incorporating it in all sorts of recipes both sweet and savoury. It’d such a versatile ingredient and it’s nutritional profile is hard to beat.

I cook batches of quinoa to freeze in cup sized portions, so it’s so easy to add to any recipe or salad at a moment notice.  This cookie experiment therefore took me literally minutes to throw together and was such a success I’ll definitely be trying it out again very soon. I used cacao nibs to make sure I kept to my sugar free Lent Challenge, you could also use regular dairy free dark chocolate chips if you prefer and for a little extra indulgence I may well give this a go next time, although to be honest I quite liked the bitter crunchy contrast of the nibs.

The coconut flakes combined with the quinoa make for a really soft and chewy cookie. The peanut butter helps bind and gives a mildly peanutty taste but you could sub for cashew or almond butter if you want the chocolate to do all the talking.

Recipe: Chewy chocolate quinoa cookies

Makes 8 small cookies

Ingredients

1 cup cooked quinoa

¼ cup peanut butter (add a pinch of salt if not salted)

¼ cup homemade date syrup and a pinch of stevia (you could use 3 tbs maple syrup of agave if you prefer)

¼ cup unsweeteneed dessicated coconut flakes

¼ cup cocoa nibs or dark choc chips

3 tbs cocoa powder

Method

Mix the peanut butter and date syrup and melt a little in a the microwave on low power if not already drippy. Mix through the remaining ingredients until fully coated.

Scoop into fat cookie dollops and place on a lined baking sheet. Bake at a fairly low temperature (I opted for 160C so as not to risk burning the date syrup) for 10-15 minutes until slightly golden. The cookies will be soft when they come out of the oven and will firm up to touch as they cool but remain soft in the centre.

 


For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

Chewy buckwheat clusters

You should all know by now that i'm a little obssesed with oats...and that doesn't look set to change anytime soon! BUT there is a new kid on the block...in the form of buckwheat. I had a top up delivery of foodie delights from my wholesaler last week which included 10 kilos of raw buckwheat groats!

Up until now I've genrally milled the buckwheat to make flour, since that is the GF flour of choice for the majority of my recipes. However, recently a few recipies using the whole groats recently caught my eye, in addition to a few energy bar experiments that I wil be rervealing more about shortly! This buckwheat granola by Angela over at Oh She Glows particulalrly grabbed my attention and so I wanted to try out my own spin on it!

Anyway, back to the recipe itself. This is a buckwheat granola and I simply swapped buckwheat for the usual oats and in keeping with my sugar free Whole Food Challenge I have used date syrup to sweeten and bind, it works perfectly and gives lovely crispy chewy nuggets of buckwheat delight!

Here I made a date syrup with roughly a 4:1 ratio of dates to water made by soaking the dates in hot water and then blending until smooth (you can make a jars worth and store in the fridge) Once again, we have a very versatile recipe as a great base for ‘mix ins’. Just be sure that the balance of dry ingredients to wet stays roughly the same to ensure the mixture clumps together well as it is baked.

I actually made a similar recipe using a few different ingredients including coconut sugar for a more itense caramelly flavour. You can find the recipe here at Real Food Source  (along with many other recipes I have created for them).

 

Recipe: Buckwheat granola clusters 


Makes 1 ½ cups

Ingredients:

1 cup buckwheat groats (soaked and well drained*- they don't need to be totally dry)
¼ cup date syrup and a pinch of stevia to taste
¼ cup coconut flakes or other nuts/seeds (optional)
2 tbs peanut butter (or other nut butter) this should be drippy
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of sea salt (omit if using salted butter)


Method:

Mix the date syrup with the nut butter of choice, cinnamon and salt. Add the buckwheat groats and coconut flakes, nuts or seeds and mix through lightly until well coated.

Lay in clumps in a even layer on a lined baking sheet and bake on a low temperature- approx 140C for approx 30-40 mins until just golden. The granola will still be soft and sticky but will crisp up as it cools.

*Soak the buckwheat for a few hours or overnight, drain and rinse at least twice as buckwheat residue is very slimy. I prepared a big batch and kept the remainder in the fridge for a few days. to use for other things,

 

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

CADA...zing!

This recipe is not my own discovery. In the world of Thermomix users it’s a well known concoction, with each of the initials corresponding to each of the ingredients. I decided to add some ‘zing’ with orange, cinnamon and cacao nibs and turned it into a creamy breakfast yoghurt bowl!

This is a super simple recipe. Great for breakfast or as a refreshing but filling snack. Like most of my favourite recipes this one is endlessly versatile...change up the nuts and fruits to suit your taste or what you have to hand. The fresh coconut is a must, and this is one of the only recipes I keep fresh coconut to hand for. I also use dates for their versatility and subtle sweetness but other dried fruits could be used.

I think what I actually love most about this recipe is it’s ‘what you see is what you get’ philosohy. All the ingredients are still visible in their original form, blitzed a little and mixed. Keep it nice and chunky for great texture.  

Recipe: CADA...zing!

Serves 2

Ingredients

Approx. ¼ cup chunks of fresh coconut

1 small apple- quartered and cored*

4-5 small dates (I used deglet nor)

¼ cup whole almonds

(optional extras)

1 small orange

½ cup vegan yoghurt

1 tsp orange zest

Cacao nibs

Cinnamon

Method

Prepare the CADA ingredients and add to the Thermomix bowl, or other high power food processor and pulse together until chunky.

To serve, layer up the orange segments into the bottom of a small bowl, top with yoghurt, add the CADA mix and then garnish with zest, cacao nibs and cinnamon as desired.

*add a splash of fresh lemon if not serving immediately to prevent from browning. CADA mix will store in the fridge for a few days.

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

Baked apple oatmeal with date sugar

My first date sugar recipe!

For those of you who missed it, I had a little reflection on sweeteners and set myself a lent challenge, date sugar is probably one of the healthiest options out there and so I figured it made sense to make my own. So....lets go date crazy!

I decided to keep it pretty simple for my first attempt. A baked oatmeal recipe that I felt pretty sure would work in principle, since I’ve created so many baked oatmeal dishes before. The date sugar was sprinkled over the top to create a caramelised glaze, whilst extra dates were used throughout to provide additional sweetness. You could use other forms of granulated sugar such as coconut sugar or rapadura (sucanat) but I loved the rich caramelised flavour the dates gave plus its arguably the healthiest option.

In the same theme at the carrot cake baked oatmeal and banana bread oatmeal, I thought I’d incorporate some veggies....you can omit the courgette if you like, thought I dont think you can taste it at all? Just make sure you use a really flavoursome and tart apple so that the oatmeal is not at all bland.

Recipe: Baked apple oatmeal with date sugar 

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 apple cubed- use a tart flavoured apple such as a granny smith or a cooking apple

¼ cup courgette- grated (omit of preferred and use a larger apple)

1 tbs chia/flax seed

1 cup soy milk (or other vegan milk)

1 tsp cinnamon

½ cup oats

2 tbs chopped pecans or walnuts

1/4 cup chopped dates

2 tbs date sugar

Method

Reserve the chopped nuts and 1 tbs date sugar and mix all remaining ingredients together until well coated  and spoon into a greased oven dish approx 20x10cm. Press down and smooth the top before adding the nuts and pressing lightly into the mixture. Sprinkle with the reserved date sugar.

Bake at 180C for approx. 20 mins until the topping is golden. Serve immediately.  This also tastes good cold the next day!

 

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

Date sugar...the only wholefood sugar

To kick off my Whole Food Lent Challenge we have my number one versatile sweetener...Dates!

I have been thinking a lot about sugar recently. Completing the Certificate in Plant Based Nutrition got me thinking about my habits and how ‘healthy’ I actually am, or maybe more importantly the ways in which I could still improve. It triggered me to think bigger and better than ever before. For the first time I actually fully appreciated what the word ‘whole foods’ actually means. I know that might sound silly, but a healthy alternative is still often not actually 'whole' and previously I hadn’t clicked onto that fact! 

For example when it comes to sweeteners,. I love agave syrup and use it a lot but there has been a lot of media attention in recent months and years disputing the health benefits of agave and so I thought it might not be a bad idea to think a little further  beyond. Sweeteners that I have been trying out much more recently are coconut sugar and also date sugar...date sugar is of particular interest to me as it is a complete whole food.

The other bonus is, you can easily make your own date sugar!  

I am planning on incorporating date sugar into many more of my recipes to come, but at the same time I will also try and offer a substitute so that those of you without will still be able to benefit from the recipes.

The ‘world’ of sweeteners can be a confusing minefield, and I do like a bit of cake and so i’m simply not prepared to give up my ‘sugar’ in modest amounts but obviously the healthier I can make sure this is the better. 

What are your favourite sweeteners and what ‘healthy’ tricks to you use to satisfy a sweet tooth?

step one- dried dates

step two- first grind

step three- re-bake and second grind

Recipe: Date sugar

Makes 1 cup

Ingredients

3 cups fresh dates (I used deglet noor- so as big and sticky as medjool)

1-2 tsp starch (I used arrowroot but others will also work)

Method

Halve the dates and lay them in a single layer on a lined baking sheet.

Place in the oven on the lowest temperature (mine was approx 50C) and ‘bake’ for about 3 hours, turn the oven off and allow to cool whilst still in the oven. I left mine in their overnight. They should end up much harder and dryer.

Placed in a high powered food processor (I used a Thermomix) and blitz on high for 30 seconds. Add 1 tsp of starch and blitz for another 30 seconds.

At this stage I lots of small clumpy grains that were still a little sticky. Lay this mixture out on the baking sheet once again in an even layer and bake at a low temp for another hour until the mixture is very hard to the touch.

Once fully cool, re blend the mixture in the processor adding a touch more starch if necessary (the starch helps to prevent clumping).  You could also add other flavours such as vanilla or cinnamon here if desired.

Once the date sugar is as fine as you can get it and there is no moisture present. Pour into an airtight storage container for future use. You will find that the date sugar hardens together over time which is normal. Use a fork to loosen for use.

Notes: you may find that if you are able to ensure the dates are rock hard from the first bake the resulting sugar will be fine enough from the first blend without the need for re-baking. You can also use a dehydrator to achieve the same affect. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.